As the Oregon Ducks suffered a tough, 6-5 loss in the Eugene regional in the NCAA baseball tournament, a controversial call following a home plate collision cost the Ducks a run and potentially the game.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Oregon left fielder Anson Aroz tagged from third base following a flyout. Utah Valley catcher Mason Strong stood in front of the plate as he awaited the throw home from left field. The ball bounced in front of Strong and went just over his glove as Aroz ran through the plate, causing a big collision that initially resulted in a run for Oregon.

The play went under a lengthy review before the crew ruled that Strong didn't obstruct the plate. Aroz was called for "malicious contact" following the collision, which resulted in an out and him getting ejected from the game.

If Strong was called for obstruction, the result would have been a dead ball and the runner awarded one base, meaning the run would have stood for Oregon. Obstruction is called when a defensive player blocks a base without clear possession of the ball, which appeared to be the case on the play.

Oregon ended up losing by one run after Aroz's run was called off, which moves the Ducks into the loser's bracket in the Eugene regional, just one loss away from elimination. Baseball fans certainly felt a type of way about the call, which put Oregon's season in jeopardy:

No. 12-ranked Oregon plays Cal Poly in an elimination game Saturday at 3 p.m. ET as they hope to keep their season alive.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Baseball Fans Think Egregiously Wrong Home Plate Collision Call Cost Oregon Its Season.

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